The Public’s Agenda for Public Education

2012-13: This campaign developed a common ground vision for intensified early childhood education, tougher teacher training and greater educator accountability. Governor Snyder and the legislature responded with the nation’s largest expansion of preschool and tougher teacher certification tests.

Getting to Work

2015: This campaign resulted in concrete public recommendations for improving career counseling and college advising in high schools, making college more affordable and reducing student debt loads, providing more hands-on training and work experience for young people, and intensifying retraining and continuing education for adults.

Fractured Trust

2016: This campaign showed an alarming lack of confidence in state government from participants across Michigan, and little consensus on what to do about it. However, Michigan residents do suggest two concrete ideas for improving trust in state government: Reform of the state emergency manager law to give more control back to the people, and improved transparency in how state leaders fund their campaigns. In both community conversations and telephone polls, Michigan residents emphasize that it is crucial to improve state government’s performance in all areas, including education, public health, services for low-income residents, environmental protection and fostering economic growth.